Light On My Shoulder
by Innocent Magic
Summary: In her mind she knew that if the stars could be seen again, Clarisse would be alright. It was crazy but it was what was getting her by lately. Craziness and hope. They were all she had left. A Teddy/Victoire story.


**A/N **I wrote this several months ago, soon after a death in our school, while listening to 'Light On My Shoulder' by Susie Suh, which is where the title originates. Let Me know what you think. By the way, I am not half as creative as JK Rowling, and therefore am obviously not the owner of the Harry Potter books, no matter how much I'd like to be.

* * *

Night time was falling. The light was fading. The sky was a wash of blues and blacks, with a thin, blindingly gold line dropping gradually behind the hills to the north. To the west though clouds were encroaching, gliding silently in front of the glittering stars, hiding them from view.

It had been a tough week for them all. One failed attempt at a trick was all it took to bring the school to its knees. One failed attempt at a trick was all it took to bring down Clarisse Piper. One failed attempt at a trick was all it took to bring lessons to an end, to bring Professor Lewis to tears, all it took to make it seem to Victoire Weasley that that golden glow wouldn't ever appear again.

Of course, she had thought that yesterday, and the day before that, and everyday since the accident, but tonight it just seemed all the more real. Tonight was the night the Healers would make the decision: to remove the life support spells currently in place on Clarisse's body or to keep them on and pray she'd wake up.

And so Victoire Weasley, best friend to Clarisse Piper, sat broken on the edge of the Astronomy Tower, focusing all her energy on brushing aside those evil heavy clouds. In her mind she knew that if the stars could be seen again, Clarisse would be alright. It was crazy but it was what was getting her by lately. Craziness and hope. They were all she had left.

Brushing a strand of long, strawberry blond hair behind her ear so as to stop the wind from blowing it into her face, she recalled the events that had led them all to where they were now.

Classes had just ended and her, Clarisse and Teddy were leaving the Charms classroom, making their way down to the Great Hall for dinner. They were tired but excited. It was the first Friday after Gryffindors victory over Ravenclaw the previous Sunday, a win that had gotten them back the cup from the Eagles, all of which resulting in a proper party that night in the common room.

Victoire had gone ahead with intentions to save them all a seat and hopefully catch her sister Dominique, one year her younger, and see if she had received a letter from their parents yet. Descending the final staircase into the Entrance Hall, she had caught sight of a gang of Slytherin fifth years skulking near the statue of Percival the Panicked. They were huddled together, looking up every so often as though waiting for a certain person to come downstairs. One of them, a burly looking boy with brown bristles for hair caught her looking, winked at his mate, and then strode purposefully over to the foot of the stairs.

Clarisse and Teddy had been completely unaware of what was taking place as they moved down the stairs slowly, still a good way behind their Victoire. The former had been explaining to her metamorphusising friend a trick she had read about in her book of entertaining spells she had received from her estranged uncle for her fifteenth birthday three weeks earlier. Just as Victoire thought the three of them would escape unharmed and unnoticed, the burly Slytherin cleared his throat loudly, attracting not only the three Gryffindors' attention, but that of other students hurrying down for dinner as well. He winked back to his mates again.

"Why Victoire you look lovely as usual," he had said, taking a few steps closer to the girl under fire, "And so does your pretty little friend here. What's your name gorgeous?" That bit had been aimed at Clarisse who blushed, unable to take a compliment well, even when it came from a hideous and evil Slytherin who didn't mean anything by it.

Victoire had boldly stepped forward so that she was on the floor and less than a foot from the boy, saying as she went, "My friend does not wish to associate with you at the present time. However, she would probably, as do I, wish for you to go away so we could eat our dinner in piece without your image in our minds to bring it all back up again."

Smirking she had made to turn away, but the boy had taken a hold of her slender wrist from under his cloak. The crowds had dispersed, again heading to eat their dinner, and so, thinking everything was safe once more, Teddy and Clarisse had continued their conversation concerning the entertaining spell.

The boy holding onto Victoire's arm had grinned evilly when he overheard a few lines from the strawberry blonde's friends. "Hey gorgeous," he said, indicating with a nod of his head that he was talking to the blond girl conversing with Teddy, "Did I hear right? You can do a head replacement charm? I'm sure everyone hear would like to see that, right guys?" His Slytherin friends had nodded, leering all the while.

The bristle haired boy had continued, "Why don't you try and switch my head with that of your beautiful friend Victoire here? If you do I'll return her to you and you can continue on your merry little ways." His friends had scoffed and sneered from their position by the statue.

"If you don't, I think I shall have my way with her. Maybe Connell and Marx there will too." The boy had snarled, a noise deep in his throat, his demeanour suddenly shifting at the prospect of him getting in such a pretty girl's pants. A crowd had started forming; they had been in the hallway long enough for a few quick eaters to be returning to their Common Rooms, stomachs full, already.

Clarisse had always been a slightly nervous girl, never good in front of a crowd, and besides, she had only read the theory of the spell and had never actually tried it first hand. That being said, if she didn't at least try to do it, Victoire would find herself locked up in a broom closet with bristle-boy. With her best friend's virginity possibly at stake, the blond haired girl had bravely stepped forward, although Teddy had been right behind her for moral support. She had raised her wand, eyes narrowed, pointing it directly first at bristle-boy and then at Victoire.

Then, just as she was about to swish her wand down and say the incantation, a jet of red light had knocked her off balance and the spell had flown a fair distance to the left of the pair, straight at Percival's poor statue. Her flash of bright pink magic had ricocheted off the statue's head, knocking off its nose, reflecting it all back at the poor girl still trying to regain her balance about halfway up the steps.

The spell, in a concentrated form after hitting the curve formed by the missing nose and essentially reflecting inwards, had finally found a mark. Clarissa, its innocent caster, had taken it full in the chest, right over her heart. It had rendered her unconscious and she had fallen the final ten or so marble steps before anyone could react.

Though there had been no outward damage, such as cut and bruises, the internal damage was beyond magical assistance. After the teachers had arrived, the Slytherins had escaped and Professor Lewis, the Headmistress, had contacted St Mungos, Clarissa had been taken away from them. Victoire had been allowed to floo there several hours later to see her and to make her, possible, last goodbyes. As naïve as she was, she knew that there were some problems magic couldn't solve, and damage such as that done to Clarissa's body fell into such a category.

Lessons had continued, though the workload was essentially non-existent. Victoire had stayed up in her dorm room keeping to herself and having her meals delivered by a friendly house-elf called Tiffy. And though she didn't know it, Teddy had been holed up not to far from where she was currently residing, on the top floor of the Astronomy Tower, where students rarely went without romantic intentions.

* * *

**A/N **This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I couldn't decide what I wanted to happen next. Should Teddy and Victoire get together and admit their undying love for each other while seeking comfort from the other? Should Clarissa live or die? Let me know what you think - help is always very much appreciated.

Additionally, not that I'm prone to plugging my own works, but if you're into Teddy/Victoire stories, you could always take a look at 'Free Me From My Demons'. I've only posted the first chapter so far, because, once again, my enthusiasm got the best of me and now I don't know where to go with it. I honestly have no inspiration at the moment. Have a good day people :)


End file.
